August 26, 2014

Two positive reports on positive public health results from marijuana reform and use

My Google news feed with marijuana headlines was topped this morning with these two notable reports about research suggesting both legal reform and usage can have positive public health consequences:

From Newsweekhere, "In States With Medical Marijuana, Painkiller Deaths Drop by 25%"

From Huffington Posthere, "Marijuana Use Lowers Risk Of Domestic Violence In Married Couples, Study Finds"

I am strongly trying to resist the impulse to claim that marijuana reform can and will improve many social ills and that marijuana is some kind of magical wonder drug. Nevertheless, it is hard not to get excited about the results of the research reported above. Of particular note, the study concerning opiate overdoses, which is available in full here and is titled "Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Analgesic Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1999-2010," is published in the highly-respected JAMA Internal Medicine journal.